Tuesday, December 25, 2007

‘Delicious!’ I exclaimed, as I savoured the moist chicken patty in my mouth. I found out later that it was because they had used the whole chicken and not just chicken breast to make the patty. The thin sesame sprinkled buns were toasted to a slight crisp and liberally buttered. The pickles contrasted well with the burger. I was told that they made their own pickles. ‘Smoked salmon on chicken?’ I questioned. ‘What an unlikely combination!’ I was getting more and more mystified by the second. But this non-believer was soon shown the light. The cheesy sauce wrapped up all the flavours and made my burger encounter an out-of-body experience.

And that’s the thing. We’re talking burgers here. A meat patty sandwiched between two buns. As a teenager, it was a treat to eat a burger simply because mum and dad never let me near a burger joint. In university, it was a staple as far as fast food was concerned. From McDonald’s to Ramly and everything in between. I soon tired of it. I met my husband, a highly adventurous foodie, and we roamed the streets of KL in search of that elusive sashimi. The burger in its greasy shroud was soon a distant memory. It almost became a dirty word to me, and I’m not talking about those deliciously dirty words that I freely exclaim while driving along the Fed on my way to work.

She had a classic cheese burger. It was a thick juicy patty made of ground beef (yes, they freshly grind all their meat), homemade ketchup and their very own mustard mix. I half expected to see cows and chickens roam the hardwood floors, and I suspected that if I looked beyond the carpark of the concrete jungle of Bangsar, I might even catch a glimpse of their vegetable patch. A milkmaid and a shepherd would spell the beginning of my insanity. I digress. Two thick slices of cheddar cheese completed the experience.

I glanced at the tomato ketchup and chilli sauce bottles. ‘They’re all homemade,’ she said. No kidding. In my mind’s eye, I saw vines holding plump shiny tomatoes in that imaginary vegetable patch. The chilli sauce was wonderful, with a heady mix of ground chillies and mustard and other secret ingredients. The accompanying fries were merely a vehicle for me to savour the addictive sauce.

The man ordered a Down on the Farm burger. I glanced over my shoulder as I thought I heard a Moo. Only for those with a hearty appetite, this muscle flexing thick beef burger, barbeque basted and smokey grilled stacked with thick sliced onion rings was oozing masculinity. A corn cake made with whole corn kernels, crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, made the man go limp with delight.

Avocadoes are a constant love interest, so my second experience at The Daily Grind was an affair with a chicken burger covered with creamy avocado sauce and topped with hot salsa. The play between sweet and savoury and spicy ensured that the burger was a winner. Again, I was bowled over by the smoothness of the chicken patty, and I couldn’t get enough of the buttery buns, my carb addiction.

If you pace yourself well, you’ll have enough room for dessert, and one dessert that is worth trying is the peanut butter and roasted banana pie. I’ll let the picture do the talking.

I never did quite explain why my sudden interest in burgers at a time when I crave foie gras more than hearty meat patties. (Incidentally, The Daily Grind is currently having a Christmas special consisting of a prawn cocktail, a Foie Gras *gasp* burger and a sherry trifle for just over RM60.) It took an hour long discussion with the husband to figure it out. ‘You’re enjoying it because you’re viewing it as a dining experience’, he looked at me sagely. ‘You’re eating with a fork and knife, cutting small pieces and savouring each mouthful like you’re enjoying a good steak.’ He was right, you know. How else could I explain why I was paying between RM23 and RM36 for a burger? Once dissected, it made sense to pay that amount. I was paying for an experience. Sometimes, revelations such as these can be quantified, and the question is, how much would you pay to see fireworks on your plate?

The Daily GrindBangsar VillageKuala Lumpur.

Open daily until 12 midnight.

Open on Christmas day.

Scratched out in a drunken stupor by
Lyrical Lemongrass
in a haze of vodka and siew yoke at
11:03 am

actually he & you are both right and maybe then again not so since in all reality all Xperiences par Fantasies , always will start & end in absolute orgasmic delicious shared co. of togetherness... de key to absolute pain or pleasure YES !

Hey guys...sorry but I've been busy with stuff to reply to all your comments! But yeah, to all who wished me a happy holidays, have a wonderful holiday (or what's left of it) too!! So great to hear from so many of you!

Also, to those who commented that the burgers looked small, well they aren't! I should have put something there for perspective. They probably looked small because of the thickness of the patty. These patties are damn thick, I tell ya. And they're quite filling. On both occasions that I was there, I could hardly touch any dessert!

Huh? A Whiff Of Lemongrass?

My first culinary achievement where people finally believed that I could cook was with a dish called baked rendang chicken. The star attraction in that rich spicy recipe was lemongrass. It’s amazing that something that’s classified as a grass and looks so uninteresting can produce such a sweet smelling fragrance.

Lemongrass is widely used an an herb in Malaysian cooking. Malaysian food is something that I have taken for granted for too long. But when I leave home for long periods of time, I miss it. And when friends from other countries visit and rave about Malaysian food, I am filled with pride.

Entera whiff of lemongrass; a long overdue blog that is dedicated to the rich array of Malaysian food that I’ve come to love. Together with my friends, we formed a foodies club called quite unimaginatively, “The Makan Club”. Don’t blame us, we’re accountants.

We’re proud of our food and we welcome you to explore with us as we bring to you our food findings - orgasmic, good, bad and vomit-inducing - from rat-infested alleys to five-star restaurants. Bouquets would be lovely; brickbats will be taken in the spirit they are delivered.

Selamat menjamu selera, or as they say in English, get your laughing gear round the nosh!

We Are The Makan Club

The Makan Club (aka Lab Rats)

Ecstatic EeyoreKnows the owners of 83 different food places on a first name basis. Also known as our ring leader. Has a shrine for Eeyore.

Pretty PuiAn expert on crustaceans. The cooked kind only.

Smokin' SOBLoves his booze, ciggies, sambal and the stock market.

Bouncing BarbieEnjoys bouncing on her mattress. Able to identify 126 types of dim sum in her dreams.

Lyrical LemongrassLoves her margarita dearly, but will give it up anytime for the siew yoke in Pudu.

Bizzy BertieFounder and loyal member of the lard noodles fan club. Has since recruited 3 enthusiastic members from the other side.

Charlie CempedakBak kut teh and his wife both share top points. Shhh. Don't tell his wife.

Not In The Makan Club, But Is A Frequent Companion

The Bald EagleMetrosexual, handsome and bald. Loves his mother's mutton curry but is often forced to admit that his wife's cooking is better for the sake of marital bliss. The gym is his second home. Married to a luscious, sexy bombshell.

My Favourite Links

DISCLOSURE POLICY

This policy is valid from 17 October 2007

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